Hi everyone at bygghus!
I need help finding a suitable material to cover an area inside our restaurant/snackbar.
The area we want to cover is right next to two fryers that maintain an oil temperature of 180 degrees.
The purpose of covering the area is to install an A/C right next to it, and we don't want the A/C to blow away all the smoke and heat from the kitchen hood.
We initially thought of using stainless steel for the area, but then realized that a transparent material would be better. Since the kitchen area/the entire restaurant is an open-plan layout with serving areas where people can look in. Covering that part with steel would limit visibility for us and the customers.
So, we considered plexiglass, but I immediately suspected it couldn't withstand the heat from the fryers and the oil that might splash up. Did some googling and found that’s the case. It can only withstand up to 130 degrees and gets soft at 100? Might be a problem. It's not really that hot on the area we intend to cover, but there's a high chance that oils and such could splash up and likely burn holes in the plexiglass.
Glass might be an option but feels impractical since it can break easily when working hard in close proximity.
Perhaps plexiglass will work, and it's a cheap solution. Maybe we should try that first, but do you have any other tips for a good material that is heat-resistant and transparent?
Otherwise, the choice will probably be stainless steel, as it's likely more hygienic too.
I need help finding a suitable material to cover an area inside our restaurant/snackbar.
The area we want to cover is right next to two fryers that maintain an oil temperature of 180 degrees.
The purpose of covering the area is to install an A/C right next to it, and we don't want the A/C to blow away all the smoke and heat from the kitchen hood.
We initially thought of using stainless steel for the area, but then realized that a transparent material would be better. Since the kitchen area/the entire restaurant is an open-plan layout with serving areas where people can look in. Covering that part with steel would limit visibility for us and the customers.
So, we considered plexiglass, but I immediately suspected it couldn't withstand the heat from the fryers and the oil that might splash up. Did some googling and found that’s the case. It can only withstand up to 130 degrees and gets soft at 100? Might be a problem. It's not really that hot on the area we intend to cover, but there's a high chance that oils and such could splash up and likely burn holes in the plexiglass.
Glass might be an option but feels impractical since it can break easily when working hard in close proximity.
Perhaps plexiglass will work, and it's a cheap solution. Maybe we should try that first, but do you have any other tips for a good material that is heat-resistant and transparent?
Otherwise, the choice will probably be stainless steel, as it's likely more hygienic too.
Yes, I thought that too.D dennis_f said:
But how much can glass actually withstand, it gets very stressful sometimes, and can it handle, for example, if a fryer basket hits it hard?
Isn't it like plexiglass?Violina said:
How much heat can it withstand?
All types of plastic scratch much more easily than glass.
With repeated cleaning, it quickly becomes unsightly.
And since it is not a sports arena where pucks and footballs will be flying, a glass pane will hold up perfectly well. I guess they don't throw cast iron pans very often
Okay, thanks for the answer!D dennis_f said:All types of plastic are significantly more prone to scratching than glass.
With repeated cleaning, it becomes unsightly very quickly.
And since it's not a sports arena where pucks and footballs will be flying, a glass pane will hold up perfectly well. I guess they don't throw cast iron pans that often
But how much does such a glass pane cost, approximately 60cm wide and 150cm long compared to polycarbonate?
Maybe polycarbonate is cheaper if it works well and can be replaced occasionally if it doesn't become too unsightly too quickly.
It's important for it to look fresh.
I don't have a complete overview of all prices, but plastic usually costs the same or more depending on what type of glass/plastic you choose.T TysonBuilds said:
Buy a laminated glass sheet, as thick as you think is economically justifiable but at least 6mm. It won't break even if you bang on it for days with the frying basket.
Ask the glazier in your area if you don't believe me, they sell both glass and polycarbonate/plexiglass.I don't think your sheet costs more than 500-700 bucks if you choose 6mm glass.